In the Heat of the Night
by Tennyo no Ame
Summary: Inuyasha and Kagome are coming back from getting a jewel shard, but suddenly Inuyasha gets a fever (note the title), and Kagome must take care of him. aaww.


Inuyasha looked up to the sky. The fall sky was clear, and the air was crisp. He sneezed, and then shook his head vigorously.  
  
"Inuyasha, are you getting a cold?" Kagome asked in a worried tone.  
  
"No," he replied bluntly, "Demons don't get colds."  
  
Kagome almost added that humans do, but decided that she probably shouldn't push the conversation into unfriendly territory. I guess that last battle had taken a lot out of him. She looked ahead and noticed that the sun was setting.  
  
"Inuyasha, we better stop for the night," She told the hanyou, "It'll be dark soon."  
  
Inuyasha wanted to protest, but decided against it. Although he wanted to get home and show off the newly acquired jewel shard, Kagome could probably use the break.  
  
"Feh," Inuyasha muttered.  
  
"I'll take that as a yes," Kagome said as she pedaled off the dirt road.  
  
Kagome leapt off of her bike and started walking it into the forest. Inuyasha walked a few steps behind her. For some reason his sense of smell was off. He could hardly smell Kagome's delicate scent...  
  
Kagome turned around and faced the hanyou. Her eyes were filled with concern.  
  
"Inuyasha, are you sure you're okay?" she inquired.  
  
"I'm fine," he retorted coldly.  
  
Kagome looked at him for a little longer, as if studying him, and then turned around and kept walking. The leaves on the ground crunched under her feet, and the trees overhead seemed to dance in the light breeze.  
  
Finally, they came to a clearing. Inuyasha and Kagome scanned the area for any youkai, but all seemed silent and still. Kagome stepped into the middle of the clearing and dropped her backpack.  
  
"Inuyasha, could you go find some firewood?" she asked politely, "I have a feeling we'll need it."  
  
Inuyasha nodded and then padded off. Even though it was the middle of fall, everything seemed dry and still; the air was stagnant. At this point, anything could be considered firewood. Inuyasha picked up a few branches that had fallen off of a nearby tree and trotted back to the clearing where Kagome had decided to set up camp.  
  
On his way back, he realized that his other senses were becoming weak. His hearing, which was normally virtually flawless, was becoming fuzzy, and things before him seemed blurry. Inuyasha shook his head and kept walking.  
  
When he returned he found that Kagome had started to dig a pit in the middle of the clearing. He walked over to her and dropped the firewood.  
  
Kagome was startled by the abrupt noise. She looked up. "Oh, thanks, Inuyasha," she said with a smile. She went back to digging the pit.  
  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and bent down next to Kagome. He started to dig deeper into the pit. Kagome stood up and let the hanyou do his work. As far as digging was concerned, Inuyasha could beat Kagome any day.  
  
Only minutes later, the pit had been dug. Inuyasha started placing pieces of wood in the pit. A couple of minutes later, Kagome walked over with her 'magic sticks' and lit a fire.  
  
The flames danced and gave off huge waves of warmth, but at this moment, Inuyasha could hardly bear it. He sat down a few feet away from the fire and closed his eyes.  
  
"Inuyasha..." Kagome murmured.  
  
Inuyasha opened his eyes and saw Kagome sitting right in front of him.  
  
"You look sick." She stated.  
  
"I told you, I'm fine!" Inuyasha snarled. He covered his mouth as he coughed.  
  
Kagome sighed and put her hand up to his forehead. Inuyasha blinked a couple of times and blushed. Did Kagome have to get this close...?  
  
She sighed again and then brought her lips to his forehead...  
  
Inuyasha pushed Kagome away. "What in the seven hells are you doing?!" he yelled.  
  
"I'm checking to see if you have a fever, baka!" she yelled back as she tried to straighten out her skirt.  
  
Inuyasha glared at her and growled.  
  
"Now, let me see," she said, leaning in toward Inuyasha again.  
  
Inuyasha squeezed his eyes shut and blushed as he felt Kagome kiss his forehead tenderly.  
  
"Oh, Inuyasha, you're burning up!" She said.  
  
"Feh," he muttered.  
  
Kagome crawled over to her bag and pulled out a small washcloth and a water bottle.  
  
"I'm going to see if I can find a creek somewhere around here," she said calmly, "I'll be right back, okay?"  
  
Inuyasha nodded and rubbed his eyes.  
  
Kagome gave him one last worried glance before she ran off to find some water. She ran through the forest as fast as her feet would carry her. There had to be a creek or pond or something around here!  
  
Finally, Kagome came to a small creek. She looked around for any youkai, and then crept over to the creek. She dipped the water bottle underwater for a few moments, and then screwed on the cap. Next, she dipped the washcloth in the creek. The water was cold and fresh. Hopefully it would help Inuyasha get better...  
  
Kagome heard a rustling sound in the bushes behind her. She turned to find herself staring at a big lizard youkai. She gasped and then bent down slowly. The youkai watched her every move, but didn't attack. Kagome picked up her water bottle and stood back up. She stared into the youkai's cold eyes. Kagome knew she had to run, but she didn't know how that would help. She squeezed her hands into fists, turned, and ran as fast as she could. She could hear the Youkai's pursuit behind her...  
  
Kagome ducked under branches and dove through bushes, scratching her fair skin in the process. She hoped that these obstacles would slow down the youkai, but it merely barreled through them.  
  
Kagome kept running, but her side was beginning to ache, and she was running out of breath. Suddenly, she felt herself flying forward: she had tripped on a root that was covered by the leaves.  
  
Kagome could hear the youkai closing in on her; she struggled to stand up...  
  
"Kagome, duck!" she heard a familiar voice call.  
  
Kagome dropped onto the ground again and clenched her eyes shut. She could hear familiar snarling sounds, and the screeching of the lizard youkai.  
  
She lifted her head and saw that Inuyasha was scratching at the youkai madly: snarling and growling. Blood was pouring from the cuts on the lizard youkai, and onto Inuyasha's claws.  
  
Finally, the youkai fell into the sweet embrace of death. Inuyasha stood before the youkai for a moment, kicked it, and trotted over to Kagome.  
  
"Are you hurt, Kagome?" he asked in a concerned tone. He kneeled down next to her.  
  
"Just a few scratches," she murmured, not being able to meet Inuyasha's gaze.  
  
Inuyasha nodded and stood up. He held out his hand, which Kagome took held of. He pulled her up and then let go. He walked ahead of her, leading the way back to their camp.  
  
Kagome sighed and then looked at her hand. It was covered in dark red blood: the youkai's blood and her own. She poured some of the water from the bottle onto her hand and wiped it on her skirt. She jogged up to Inuyasha.  
  
"Thank you, Inuyasha," she said timidly, "You saved me again."  
  
"It's nothing," he muttered. He coughed a couple of times.  
  
"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, "You're sick, and that fight probably made it worse." Tears began to well up in Kagome's eyes.  
  
"I told you, it's nothing," he retorted, ignoring Kagome's tears.  
  
Finally they reached camp. Kagome sat down next to the fire, which was still ablaze, and brighter than ever. Inuyasha sat down a few feet away from the fire. Small beads of sweat were forming on his forehead, and his ears drooped. His fever was getting worse. And it's all because he had to rescue me, Kagome thought guiltily. Inuyasha lied down on his back and closed his eyes.  
  
Kagome crawled over to Inuyasha and tentatively placed the cold washcloth over his forehead. Inuyasha opened his eyes and looked directly into hers'.  
  
"Kagome..." he said weakly.  
  
"Shh," she whispered, "You need to rest."  
  
Inuyasha tried to sit up, but all of his strength had disappeared. "But, what if we're attacked?" he asked in a concerned tone.  
  
"Don't worry, I'll be right here," she whispered, "I'll keep my bow close."  
  
Kagome stood up and walked to the opposite side of the fire. She grabbed her bow and a few arrows, and sat down. She flashed a soft smile at Inuyasha.  
  
"Go to sleep, Inuyasha," she said in a serene tone.  
  
Inuyasha took one last look at Kagome, and then drifted off into a deep slumber.  
  
Inuyasha took a look around. He was alone in the clearing. The fire was still burning brightly, but Kagome was nowhere near. Inuyasha looked around wildly, expecting -hoping- to see Kagome walking through the trees on her way back to camp. He stood there for a moment, but still, no Kagome. Inuyasha started to panic. What if she had been kidnapped? Or eaten? Or what if she ran away? Inuyasha shook his head vigorously, as if trying to shake away the thoughts. He ran through the forest, searching for Kagome. Any moment, he told himself, I'll find her, and she'll be fine, just fine. Sadly, Inuyasha didn't believe what he was telling himself...  
  
Finally, he came to a small creek. He could smell Kagome in this area. Inuyasha followed the creek and Kagome's smell until he came to a thicket of bushes and thorns. He saw a piece of green cloth stuck on one of the thorns...Kagome's skirt, he told himself. He kept running, following her scent. Where are you Kagome?  
  
Inuyasha stopped in his tracks. What lay before him had to be the most terrifying sight of his life...  
  
Kagome lay on the ground, facing the sky. Her beautiful body had cuts and bruises all over, and her eyes -which were once full of love and happiness- were cold and blank. Her chest didn't rise. She didn't move at all.  
  
She was dead.  
  
Inuyasha stared at Kagome's lifeless body with his mouth open in shock. She can't be dead, he told himself. Tears filled his eyes, but he pressed them back and clenched his teeth.  
  
Suddenly, he looked up and saw a great lizard youkai crouching over Kagome's body.  
  
"You stay away from her!" he screamed as he ran up and slashed the youkai's face.  
  
Inuyasha slashed, sliced, and scratched at the youkai with a blind fury. It was the youkai's fault that he would have to live without Kagome: never feel her warm presence, or smell her delicate scent, or feel her lips on his...  
  
Inuyasha growled at the youkai as it fell to the ground. He didn't want it to be dead. He wanted to cut it to ribbons, and have it feel all of the pain.  
  
Inuyasha kicked the dead youkai, and stepped away. He walked over to Kagome's motionless body and knelt down.  
  
"I'm sorry, Kagome..." he said as tears started to pour out of his eyes, "I'm so sorry..."  
  
Inuyasha held his face in his hands as he cried for his fallen miko.  
  
Suddenly Inuyasha was up and running. His once beautiful amber eyes had turned a deep blood red, his fangs grew longer giving him a monstrous look, and his claws had no become sharp enough to slice through the strongest youkai skin. Inuyasha finally came to a swarm of youkai. He growled and snarled at them, showing his anger and ferocity. Within moments all of the youkai had been slain, and Inuyasha's claws were stained with their blood. He began running again, treading softly on the blood-soaked earth. He ran and ran, only stopping to slaughter more and more youkai... Inuyasha had become a full youkai... a demon... a monster...  
  
"Inuyasha."  
  
Inuyasha awoke with a start. His entire body was sweaty and trembling. His chest heaved.  
  
"Inuyasha," came the sweet voice again.  
  
Inuyasha looked over to see Kagome -his beautiful, sweet Kagome- leaning towards him with her hand outstretched, and her eyes full of concern.  
  
Inuyasha gawked at her. She was alive...and with him... He now realized that he never wanted to live without her...  
  
Inuyasha bolted up and embraced Kagome. He held her to him as tight as possible: afraid that if he held her any looser, she would vanish and be gone for all of eternity.  
  
"Inuyasha..."Kagome murmured again.  
  
"I saw what my life would be like without you, Kagome," Inuyasha whispered, "I never want it to happen."  
  
Kagome's heart skipped a beat. Was this Inuyasha talking? Or his fever? Either way, she didn't care.  
  
Kagome tentatively placed her arms around Inuyasha, and held him.  
  
They stayed in their embrace for a moment: the greatest moment of both of their lives.  
  
Suddenly, Inuyasha pulled away. He looked into Kagome's brown eyes.  
  
"I want you to stay with me, Kagome," he whispered.  
  
"Oh, Inuyasha..." Kagome sighed with a light smile.  
  
And with that, Inuyasha brought his lips down on hers: kissing her with all of the love, passion, and craving that he had ever known.  
  
~*~  
  
ok, now's the time to say it! Let's all say it as a group: AAAWWW. ^_^ teehee. Weee, I'm glad it's done. I got the idea for this fic like 3 or 4 weeks ago, but I never got around to writing it... now I just need to write my 6 BOOKS... 5 of which that I haven't even started. Oy vey. -_-;; But, anywho, hope you enjoyed this fluffy, pointless, Inu fic! Woot woot!  
  
~woo, I edited it! Happy now? Hehe, just messing. Hopefully, Inuyasha's feelings don't feel so rushed now... 


End file.
